Subscribe

Author Interview & Book Review: Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

I’m not a huge fan of YA, but I cannot get enough of Lia Habel’s Gone With the Respiration series. It’s addicting! This is a series that I absolutely inhale. It is so different from anything that I’ve ever read. It’s refreshing and a breath of fresh air.

We see deeper into our favorite characters: Nora, Bram, and Pamela; as well as new characters: Laura, Dog, and Smoke. There are also characters that get a bigger role in this book which was very exciting to see: Michael, Vespertine, and Coalhouse.

Nora is still getting herself into trouble because she can’t not help someone in trouble. We see deeper into Michael’s past and his family, learning why he acts the way he does. We see his father and his work for a few chapters.

The second installment of this series leaves Company Z disbanded. The living are now fighting back. Things are falling apart. There is a new strain of the Laz virus that is spreading throughout New London. This time around, they have the zombie source in custody.

With everything falling apart, this book is darker than the first one… which I thoroughly enjoyed. Peoples homes are being attacked, anxiety is rising high, and thoughts of suicide are being debated.

A group called The Murder has sprung up. They are living humans that go after and kill zombies. They wear black masks that disguise their faces and distort their voices.

With Company Z is no longer active, the soldiers are scattered. Some are staying at Nora’s house to help Dr. Dearly. Others, like Hagen, formed a group called The Changed. This group is supposed to be a sanctuary for zombies so they can live peacefully, but with Hagens in charge things don’t turn out even the way she expected.

Pamela is having anxiety attacks and dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder with everything that has happened to her in these two books. I would like to give a huge thank you to Lia Habel for writing about Pamela and her anxiety issues. Growing up with and still battling General Anxiety Disorder, it really hit home for me. It is an exhausting disorder to live with, and does get extremely tiring to hide pretending like everything is alright.

I definitely recommend this book, especially if you’ve read Dearly, Departed. It takes the entire story to a whole new level of craziness and I can’t wait for more!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The fabulous Lia Habel is always so sweet and generous, as well as ever so glamorous. She was kind enough to do an interview to go along with this book review. Hope you enjoy it!

The Obscured Vixen: How many books will there be in the series?
Lia Habel: I recently sat down to work on the proposal to continue the series, and came up with the idea of five books. The rough outlines of the final three are now sitting in a Word file on my computer, waiting to see what happens on the business side of things. Bram is the lynchpin of the series, and the measuring stick by which it’s plotted — I have to give him a solid, exciting story arc and conclusion, and I think three books will work for that.

At one point I said that I could imagine myself writing about the characters forever, but now I realize that isn’t the case. Aside from the fact that I’ve found that I struggle with writing series (which I didn’t know before I sat down to write Beloved, my first-ever sequel), zombies are monsters with a limited shelf life, and I think that dragging the characters out would ultimately negatively impact their stories and voices.

TOV: When will the next book be released? I need more!
LH: It hasn’t even been written yet! I can tell you that the working title is Dearly, Betrayed (ooh, foreshadowing), and that we’ll finally, hopefully get across the Border and start looking at things from a Punk perspective. The plot will also start to get really heavy — I had no idea where Departed was going when I started writing it, and quite innocently said, “Sure, I can do that!” when my agent suggested expanding the book into a series. I’ve found, though, that it’s a very complicated, generational plot — that Nora, especially, will be dealing with things that happened long before she was ever born. I think Lopez solidified that for me, when I sat down to flesh him out for book two — I realized how far back a lot of my characters’ issues go. This isn’t shaping up to just be a “zombie apocalypse” story; it’s a story that talks about the turns you make in your life, how you handle your past, and how you have to pick yourself up and keep marching on.

TOV: Without giving too much away, how did you come up with the story line for Laura? Especially her green thumb?
LH: Laura was inspired by all the zombie movies I’ve watched, actually! I really like it when zombies are presented almost as earth elementals; when they’re accompanied by such metaphorical cues as dead plants, moss, grave dirt, etc. Think of the zombies that claw their way out of the ground and come out streaked with earth, or are covered with mold. I’ve even watched movies that use plants as a means of infection! So I wanted to take that idea and run with it, and I came up with the idea of a zombified Victorian flower girl. (Fact: Right up through line edits, her name was actually Sofia — I don’t watch Walking Dead, so I had no idea there was a pivotal character named Sophia on that show. I changed it at the last minute!)

TOV: Love seems to be in the air! Do we eventually see other characters besides Nora and Bram falling in love: Pamela? Vespertine? Coalhouse?
LH: Pamela is so not in the market for romance right now! I think she’s focused on overcoming her own issues — and maybe getting a little revenge? I am really excited about Vespertine, though; she’s a really interesting character to write. I’d love to do more with her and Ren…mainly because I think the other boys underestimate Ren. Protip, girls: Nerds like to be the best at EVERYTHING they do. Failure is not an option.

TOV: If you had the choice, would you rather have a Rolls Royce or a motorized stage coach?
LH: Oh gosh, do I have to pick? I’m going with the coach. Mostly because it might actually have room for all my dresses.

Share this:

Like this:

Not sure if you guys heard of this bitch Sandy, but she single handedly ruined by week.

First I want to thank everyone for their concerns and warm wishes that were being emailed and tweeted to me. It meant so much to me! All in all, we were extremely lucky. We have friends that had trees fall on their house or cars, fires in their yard from down wires, and someone who lost their house : (

We lost power on Monday, which we knew would happen with 70 MPH winds. At first it was fine because we still had gas on the stove and hot water. I kept going out to the car to charge my phone, only to find out there was no cell or 4G reception.

Tuesday we still had no power, and had to start going through all of the food that would be going bad in the fridge. We hard boiled all the eggs, ate cereal, and had cold cuts.

Guess what? On Wednesday we still had no power. Time to go through the freezer. We cooked what we could, but had to throw everything else out. Although we did get cell and spotty 4G service back. The storm had passed, so we went outside to asses the damage to our house. Luckily there was nothing seriously wrong, just leaves and debris everywhere.

Thursday, sigh, still no power. It hadn’t been that bad up until this point, except for the fact that it started getting really cold (down into the 40’s at night).

Friday there was still no power, and that was the final straw. We went and stayed with my parents who did have power. I was finally able to warm up, catch up on all the TV shows I’ve missed all week, charge my laptop, access the internet, and eat cooked food (no more fast food places that had power).

Come Saturday afternoon, POWER! Our neighbor let us know that we had power back and we raced home to find our house warm and bright : )

The only thing that is still an issue for us is finding gas. Hubs got gas the other night at 1am and had to wait an hour and 15 minutes to fill up. My car is low, so we’re down to one car which will definitely be a problem trying to get us to work tomorrow.

Things are still pretty bad, and I hope that everything will get back to normal soon. Send all your happy thoughts to the people in New York and New Jersey that need it!

Like this:

Interview, Book Review, and Giveaway: Out For Blood by Kristen Painter

After nearly dying at the hands of the Aurelian, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré. That is until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one.

Kristen Painter has out done herself yet again! Out For Blood is by far my favorite book of the House of Comarre series. There is even more intrigue, deception, and cat fights!

Some characters show their true colors, and some characters crumble under unforeseen circumstances. And just when you think you know exactly where the story is going, you get hit in the side of the head by a Painter curve ball.

Also in typical House of Comarre fashion, we are left with a multitude of questions that will be answered in the last novel of the series, Last Blood, scheduled to be released next year.

If you have not yet read this series, start today! And GO READ THIS BOOK!

And today, November 1st, Out For Blood is the Kindle deal of the day. So go pick it up here right now!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Kristen Painter twice, and I can honestly say that she is one of the coolest authors you could ever meet and hang out with. She is so down to earth, and hilariously funny. She is also the biggest sweetheart, and allowed me to interview her on her latest book, Out For Blood. Enjoy this awesome interview!

TOV: It seems like Chrysabelle could really use her mothers help at the end of this book. Did you write Maris’s character knowing you would kill her off so early on?
KP: I did. My goal is to always make things worse for my characters. Taking her mother so soon after they’re reunited seemed about the worst thing I could do, but it also forced Chrysabelle to grow. I’m not sure she would have progressed as much if she’d had Maris to learn on.

TOV: Will we ever see Preachers back story?
KP: Good question. I won’t say no. You’ll get to see more of him in Last Blood, though.

TOV: If I can be honest, you write bitches really well. Which is a good thing! Is it more fun writing the evil characters?
KP: Thanks! They are fun to write, but also tough because evil without reason isn’t nearly as compelling as evil due to some deep issues. I really strive to find the “human” even in my baddies.

TOV: This series always has a cliffhanger at the end of each book, but this one definitely takes the cake! Do you enjoying teasing readers with these major cliffhangers?
KP: I love cliffhangers like a cat loves cream although I understand they can make readers crazy. The bonus is, for those people who wait until all the books are out, they can read straight through like it’s one epic story – which it really is.

The Obscured Vixen: Which of your works are you most proud of?
Kristen Painter: I’m super proud of Out For Blood, but even more so of Last Blood, the final book in this series. It was both a pain and a joy to write. I felt such responsibility to deliver a book that would satisfactorily wrap things up and give readers the emotional pay out they deserved. I believe I did that. I can tell you I shed a few tears writing the end of that book.

TOV: When will the next book be released? (I just finished and I already want more!)
KP: I believe Last Blood is scheduled for July 2013.

TOV: How many books will be in the series?
KP Five – Last Blood is the also the last book!

TOV: Would you ever want your books to be one a movie or tv show?
KP: I would love that! How fun would that be? Why are you asking? Do you know someone? LOL

TOV: Haha! I wish I did! I would totally hook you up : ) Thank you so much for the awesome interview!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Giveaway Details

Kristen has been extremely generous in offering the winner of this giveaway any book from her House of Comarre series! The choice is totally up to you.

Like this:

I’ve definitely been on hiatus from blogging for the last three weeks. Things have been insanely crazy in my real life and I’ve barely had time to do anything. But I’m back! Within the next two weeks, here are the blogs that you’ll be seeing here:

Interview with Kristen Painter for Out For Blood

Interview with Lia Habel for Dearly, Beloved

Interview with Mari Freeman for About to Blow

New York Comic Con (NYCC) Overview

Anne Rice panel review from NYCC

The Walking Dead panel review from NYCC

Arrow panel review from NYCC

Beautiful Creatures panel review from NYCC

Meeting Christopher Lloyd from NYCC

Quick review of the following panels at NYCC: Comic Book Men, Haven, The Conjuring, The Bay, Carrie, Evil Dead

I will also be posting hundreds of pictures from NYCC on my pinterest boards. Stay tuned!

Share this:

Like this:

Movie Review of Resident Evil: Retribution

Review by The Crimson Cougar

I have a great deal of fun playing video games. I have a great deal of fun watching movies. I REALLY have a great deal of fun watching horror/thriller movies.

The ‘Resident Evil’ franchise by all means should be an absolute party for me to witness going by my standards. It’s a horror/action franchise based on a very successful video game. Their most recent effort, titled ‘Retribution’ picks up right where the last movie left off, with the villain Wesker mid-attempt on Alice’s (Milla Jovavich) life. She then wakes up, only to have Wesker help her escape the Umbrella headquarters? Um…

Right, something I will try and do is not give a negative review for a movie, because out there somebody thinks differently than you. So, with that I will point out what I found appealing about this movie. Early in the film, moments of shock value return to the series for the first time in a while, I actually jolted out of the chair a couple times.

Fans of the video game series will be pleased to see most characters from the games appear in this game like Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong. The infamous line from the very first Resident Evil game “Barry…where’s Barry?” can be answered – He’s HERE! In this movie!!! Action junkies should have a decent enough ride of a popcorn flick to carry you through the runtime.

If you felt the last film in the series was good, but just want to see it done a bit differently and don’t need to question what’s being placed in front of your eyes, you have an action movie that returns to its horror DNA for some good thrills. Just don’t expect any sort of closure.

I’d certainly say wait for a rental, unless you feel obligated to see it in 3D.

Review of Supernatural Season 8 Episode 1 “We Need To Talk About Kevin”

Season 8 starts one year after last seasons finale. We see a bring light in a forest in Maine, and Dean shows up covered in blood and dirt scaring the shit out of a camping couple.

Four days later, Dean hitchhikes his way to Louisiana and ends up in a field. He counts off steps and starts digging (with classic rock playing in the background of course). He digs up a bunch of bones, then pulls back his sleeve. His arm is glowing orange and something is moving under his skin. Dean slices his arm open and orange goop oozes out onto the bones. The bones disappear, and a vampire is suddenly standing behind Dean. But rather than killing him, Dean embraces him.

Sam is in Texas with what appears to be his place, with a girlfriend and a dog. Sam accidentally hit the dog with his car and brought it to a vets office. The dog is going to be fine, and the vet talks Sam into taking the dog home (by being a bitch, I must admit). Which explains the dog, but not the girl…

Sam walks out of his place in the middle of the night in Dean’s old car and drives to their old cabin in Montana. Where he runs into Dean. [I’d like to know what made Sam drive from Texas to Montana. Anyways…]

We see flashbacks of Dean in purgatory chasing some guy who’s dressed in 1800’s clothing. Turns out he’s also a vampire. Dean asks him where’s the angel, but the vampire doesn’t know. Dean quickly kills him, but gets attacked by another vampire. Someone comes up behind Dean killing the vampire that attacked him. This mysterious man tells Dean that he knows a way for humans to get out of purgatory, but he won’t show Dean the door until he agrees to “hop a ride out” through Dean.

Dean explains that he’s been in purgatory for a year, but won’t tell Sam how he got out. He says Castiel didn’t make it; that something happened to him down there. But Dean won’t confirm that he’s dead.

During their heart-to-heart, Sam drops a bomb explaining that he doesn’t hunt anymore. Sam was left completely, utterly alone: their dad is dead, Bobby is dead, Jess is dead, Sam thought Dean was dead…

Dean yells at Sam for getting out of the family business, but Sam yells back, “The business that killed everyone I cared about?” Dean then asks Sam if he even bothered looking for him. At first Dean thought he had, but Sam’s silence gives him away. You can definitely feel the tension between the Winchester brothers (again!).

Annoyed with Sam, Dean starts checking the voicemails on their old cell phones and finds multiple messages from Kevin Tran asking for help. Dean says that Kevin was their responsibility, and Sam instantly feels guilty for leaving Kevin on his own. Sam separates the sound levels and finds out Kevin is at a bus station in Michigan.

Dean and Sam show up in Michigan to interview Kevin’s girlfriend, but she admits to not having seen Kevin in over a year. When they leave, Kevin’s girlfriend turns into her demon self and tells Crowly that Dean Winchester is back.

Crowly kidnapped Kevin and was keeping him in an abandoned warehouse. Crowly gave him another tablet to decode. It mentioned everything about demons, and how to open and close hellgates. Crowly’s men brought Kevin all the ingredients, but Kevin double crossed them and did a spell to kill Crowley’s men.

Sam did some digging and found out Kevin is in Iowa. They go to an abandoned church where someone said they saw Kevin hiding out. Dean wants to take Kevin to the tablet and have him close the hellgate, but Sam isn’t sure because he doesn’t think Kevin will make it through the process alive.

Kevin says he’ll help them close the hellgate when all of a sudden the church starts to shake. Two demons show up, and Sam and Dean quickly kill them. Crowly shows up with Kevin’s girlfriend and says that if Kevin shows him where the tablet is than he’ll let his girlfriend go.

Kevin goes to get his stuff, but sets a trap to hurt Crowly and his girlfriend. The demon leaves his girlfriends body, and Crowly snaps her neck in front of Kevin.

While at a truck stop, Dean says he’s going to the bathroom but calls his vampire friend instead. Dean tells him that they can’t talk for a while, but to call in case of an emergency.

What happened to Castiel in pergatory? I’m not buying that he’s really gone, everyone was too evasive. Who is this chick that Sam was hooked up with, and why did he leave her and randomly go to Montana? Who is this this mysterious vampire that used Dean to get out of purgatory? What happens when Sam finds out that Dean is friendly with a vampire?

Share this:

Like this:

Review of Dexter S7E1 “Are You…?”

Air date: Sunday, September 30, 2012

After last years season finale I absolutely could not wait for this years season. Then the theme song came on and I got all giddy and excited! And I must admit that this first episode was already better than all of last season.

This season starts literally the second where last season ended: with Deb holding a gun on Dexter asking, “What the fuck is going on?”

Dexter is shocked that Deb is there, and tries to come up with a lie to cover himself. He tells her that he was doing one last forensic sweep when Trevor attacked him. Deb isn’t exactly buying it, and wants to know how Trevor got wrapped in saran wrap and put on the alter. Dexter, still lying through his ass, says that he snapped from all the pent up rage he’s been feeling after Rita’s death.

Deb takes out her phone to call the station, but Dexter stops her. He suggests getting rid of the body, and Deb can’t believe what she’s hearing. Dexter tries getting through to her again and says they can make it look like he committed suicide, then burn the church to the ground getting rid of all evidence. Dexter feels like he must protect Deb and will do anything he can to make sure neither of them are implicated in this.

Deb goes to the gas station, and they burn the church to the ground. Before leaving, Dexter accidentally drops the blood slide with Trevor’s blood on it.

Dexter and Deb are together when they get a call about the church Trevor is at being burned down. When everyone clears out of the church, LaGuerta finds the blood slide and makes sure it gets logged into evidence.

Dexter goes home and finds his babysitter, Jamie, and her boyfriend, Louis, in his apartment. Dexter threatens Louis after finding out he was using his computer. He checks his AC unit to make sure his bloodslides are still there and realizes he left Trevor’s at the church.

When Jamie and Louis get back to their place, Louis keeps going on and on about how big of a dick Dexter is. Jamie wants to know why she’s so fixed on Dexter, and what his deal his (little does she know he knows who Dexter truly is). She actually says, “The more I get to know you, the weirder you get.” Um… big red flag, anyone? We then see Louis wipe out all of Dexter’s credit card numbers and cancels his accounts.

Deb gets a call from Mike wondering why Trevor’s car wasn’t in the area parked around the church. We can visibly see Deb struggling what to tell him. She still can’t accept what she saw.

On his way home, Mike stops on the side of the road to help a guy with a flat tire. Except when he opens the trunk to get a tire iron he finds a dead body. The driver shoots Mike and takes off in his police car, leaving Mike dead on the side of the road.

The next morning Deb shows up at Dexter’s apartment and can’t understand how Dexter was perfectly prepared to kill Travis. How did he have plastic wrap? Where did the knives come from? Where were his work clothes? Why he said, “I know what I’m doing” when he suggested getting rid of the body? Deb doesn’t feel right about keeping the murder quiet.

Deb receives a call that Mike was shot and is ready to walk out the door, but realizes Dexter isn’t following her. She asks him what he’s doing, and he says he still has to put his bag and stuff together. Deb, frustrated as all get out, takes off without him. Dexter breaks a hole in the wall in his bedroom and pulls out a bag. It’s a getaway bag with cellphones, cash, passports.

Dexter shows up to the crime scene and explains what he believes happened to the body found in the trunk. When he looks up, Deb is staring at him like she doesn’t believe him; Dexter is afraid she’ll never believe him again.

When Deb gets back to the office, she walks into the Evidence department and requests files from the Ice Truck Killer case. She looks through the photos of the crime scene and finds saran wrap on a table, just like in Travis’ murder. Deb had a flash back of when she was strapped down to the Ice Truck Killers table the same way Dexter strapped down Travis. She can’t help but think what Dexter had to do with it.

Dexter runs a print found at the crime scene and found it belonged to Viktor Baskov. Dexter goes to Viktor’s apartment and finds blood and gunshot residue on the clothes in his hamper. Dexter looks at Viktor’s computer and sees a recent purchase of a one way ticket out of the country.

Dexter goes to the airport after Viktor and stabs him with his trusty needle when he enters the bathroom. Dexter finds an empty room and straps Viktor to a table with luggage straps rather than his typical saran wrap. Dexter also crushes his head with a fire extinguisher instead of stabbing him with a knife to kill him. He then goes out on his boat and dumps the body.

I must interject here and ask, “Aren’t there security cameras at airports?” How is Dexter not caught doing this?! Anyways…

Deb calls Dexter’s place, but Jamie answers the phone saying that Dexter is at work. Deb just left the office and knows that Dexter isn’t working. Jamie admits that Dexter works late all the time. Deb knows that this is also a lie, and her mind wanders to what Dexter is doing at night.

LaGuerta talks to Masuka asking if blood slides are taken at crime scenes. Masuka admits the only person that ever did was Doakes. She steals the blood slide from the evidence box taking it with her when she leaves.

Dexter goes back to his apartment after dumping Viktor’s body and finds Deb sitting in his living room… with his blood slides, gun, and knives in front of her. Total holy shit moment! Deb asks if Dexter killed all these people, and he said yes.

How is Deb going to cope with finding out Dexter is a serial killer? Will she turn him in and get him the best lawyer in town? Will Louis admit to Dexter he knows his true identity? What will LaGuerta do now that she thinks Doakes is back?

Like this:

Once Upon a Time Review: Season 2 Episode 1 “Broken”

Air date: Sunday, September 20, 2012

I was so thoroughly surprised with the first season of Once Upon a Time and could not wait for season two to start.

I was a little confused when the episode started, because we’re following a guy walking through New York City. A white bird shows up at his apartment window with a post card from Storybrooke that has nothing but “Broken” written on it. We can assume that this is referring to the curse, but who sent it?

Next we see two people in the fairy tale world, Philip and Mulan, racing on horseback to a sleeping woman. He kisses her on the lips and she suddenly wakes up. He calls her Aurora, and we learn that she is Sleeping Beauty. Philip tells Aurora that their kingdom is destroyed and must be rebuilt. Suddenly a wraith come out of the ground in front of Philip and Aurora and drops a chain with a talisman on it.

In Storybrooke, the mysterious purple cloud finally lifts, and everyone gets their memory back. They all know that the curse is broken. Snow White says that she has to find her daughter, and tells Emma, “You found us [her parents].” There is then a really cute scene between Henry and Charming where he calls him “Grandpa.”

Emma mentions that she’s dreamed of meeting her parents her entire life, but out of all the scenarios she imaged this was never it. Henry tells Emma that she saved everyone, but that doesn’t explain why everyone is still in Storybrooke. The Blue Fairy admits that magic is now in Storybrooke, but it’s changed. Everyone in town is heading for Regina’s house to kill her because they think she broke the curse; when in fact it was Mr Gold.

Everyone shows up at Regina’s house claiming she took everything from them. Regina tries to attack them by using her magic, but soon realizes that she’s powerless. Charming asks why if the spell was broken they are still in Storybrooke. Regina tells him that there’s nothing to go back to. Snow says that Regina must be locked up for the towns safety as well as her own. Emma takes pleasure in locking up Regina in a jail cell at the station.

Belle and Mr Gold are now back together. Belle explains that Regina abducted her and has been keeping her locked up for the last twenty years. Gold is furious that Belle has been in Storybrooke all along. Belle sees the anger in his eyes and makes him promise not to get revenge on Regina so they can be together.

Belle walks with Gold back to his shop and says he is going to get her something to wear. When he goes in the back of his shop, he pulls out a gold trinket box. Inside is the same chain and talisman as the one the wraith dropped in the fairy tale world.

Gold visits Regina in jail, and confronts her about keeping Belle prisoner. When Regina tries to respond, Gold grabs her arm and presses the talisman into her hand. He says that her fate is now worse than death.

Mulan tells Aurora and Philip that wraiths suck souls from their victims and damn them for eternity. Suddenly the talisman imprint appears on Philip’s hand in the exact spot Mr Gold pressed it to Regina’s.

Mulan, Philip and Aurora make camp away from the palace and hide in the woods. Philip does not tell Aurora about the talisman imprint appearing on his hand. He tells her that he’s going to make a fire and he’ll be back in five minutes. Philip jumps on a horse and takes off leaving Aurora and Mulan behind.

Gold takes his Rumpelstiltskin knife, raises it in the air, and says, “The dark one summons thee.” He brings the knife down onto the talisman and Regina feels her hand burning. A wraith appears in front of Gold and takes off towards Regina.

Snow wants to talk to Emma about being her mother because Snow thinks that Emma isn’t happy about finding her parents. For Emma’s entire life she’s felt alone knowing her parents sent her away. Emma still feels anger towards them, even though she knows the reasoning why.

Emma, Snow and Charming walk into Mr Gold’s shop when Emma accuses him of double crossing her. Gold asks Emma if Henry survived, if the curse was broken, and if she found her parents. Gold feels he deserves a thank you from Emma. She asks him what the purple smoke was, but he won’t tell.

The ground suddenly shakes and all the lights dim. When they ask what that was, Gold says that it’s a gift that will take care of Regina. Belle overhears this comment and becomes angry with Gold for lying to her about getting revenge on Regina.

Mulan and Aurora hear a loud animal noise then look around to make sure Philip is alright. It’s then they realize Philip is gone. Mulan tells Aurora that he was marked, and that she has to find him before he gets hurt. Aurora accuses Mulan of loving Philip, but she denies it.

Aurora and Mulan meet up with Philip and he admits to being marked. He tells them to go away because there is no need for all of them to die. Mulan offers to take the talisman and mark herself so Philip can live, but he won’t let her. The wraith takes Philip’s soul and he collapses to the ground.

The wraith in Storybrooke soon finds its way to Regina’s jail cell and begins to steal her soul. Charming hits the wraith with a chair, and Snow attacks it with fire causing the wraith to take off. Regina admits that the wraith won’t stop or go away until the marked persons soul is gone. Regina breaks out the Mad Hatters Hat to send the wraith somewhere where it can’t hurt anyone; the fairy tale world they believe to be destroyed.

Regina tries to activate the hat the next time the wraith comes by, but nothing happens. Charming tries to distract the wraith, but even with more time the hat doesn’t work. Emma grabs Regina’s arm and suddenly the magical portal opens. The wraith falls into the portal, knocking Emma through with it. Snow forbids to leave her daughter again, and jumps in after her. Charming tries to follow, but the portal closes before he can get in.

Charming rushes Regina and asks where Snow and Emma disappeared to. Regina pushes him against the wall and holds him there with tree branches; her magic seems to be returning. Regina tells Charming that she should have killed him when she had the chance. Henry runs in seeing Regina in action and asks her what she’s doing.

Henry takes a step back, realizing that she really is that evil queen. He yells at her that he never wants to see her again. Regina says that she loves him, and Henry asks her to prove it by getting Emma back.

Not wanting to stay with Regina, Henry leaves with Grandpa Charming. They go to Snow and Emma’s apartment, and Charming makes a promise to Henry that he will find them.

Mulan tells Aurora everything that happened while she was asleep. She explains how Regina cursed the land and ripped everyone away to another world. However, the part of the land they lived on was untouched and no one knows why. They hear a noise close by, and find Snow and Emma under a pile of rubble. Mulan thinks that they are the ones that brought the wraith.

A hell of a lot happened in this one episode, and there’s still twenty-one more to go! I can’t wait to see what happens between Mulan and Emma; they seem fairly matched and could definitely give each other a run for their money. Also, Snow White is now back home in fairy tale land. What does that mean for her? And also Emma being her heir? Will Regina try and get revenge on Gold for branding her for the wraith? How does Gold still have so much magic at his disposal? Where does this leave Henry now that Emma is gone? What will Aurora do now that Philip is asleep?

Share this:

Like this:

Cover Reveal of Release by MR Merrick

Check out this badass cover for Release, the third book of The Protector Series by MR Merrick! All of these books have awesome covers, but I must admit that this one is my favorite.

I’ve read all of The Protector Series books so far (Exiled and Shift), and I inhaled them. I absolutely could not put them down! MR Merrick creates characters that you can’t help but fall in love with, and always leaves you wanting more. I cannot wait until Release is released so I can read about the next chapter of Chase’s life. Bring it on!

Book SynopsisAfter uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made – especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past – sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.